Bandwidth part configuration for network slicing

ABSTRACT

A slice manager associated with a network access point of a telecommunication network can manage combinations of network slices and bandwidth parts for user equipment (UE). The bandwidth parts can have independently set numerologies, such as subcarrier spacing values. The UE can be configured to use one or more active bandwidth parts at a time, such that the slice manager can instruct the UE to use multiple active bandwidth parts simultaneously with respect to the same network slice or multiple network slices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 17/096,799, filed on Nov. 12, 2020 and entitled“BANDWIDTH PART CONFIGURATION FOR NETWORK SLICING,” which is anon-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/027,270, entitled “BANDWIDTH PART SELECTION FORNETWORK SLICING,” filed on May 19, 2020, which are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Network slicing can be used to create different virtual networks withina telecommunication network. For example, network resources can beallocated among different network slices. Each network slice can thus beused as an independent virtual network, because each network slice maybe associated with different network resources.

Some telecommunication networks, such as fifth generation (5G)telecommunication networks, may also permit bandwidth to be subdividedinto bandwidth parts. The bandwidth parts may have differentnumerologies, such as different subcarrier spacing values.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 shows an example network environment in which user equipment canconnect to a telecommunication network via combinations of networkslices and bandwidth parts.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a carrier that includes multiple bandwidthparts.

FIG. 3 shows a first example of subcarrier spacing between subcarriers.

FIG. 4 shows a second example of subcarrier spacing between subcarriers.

FIG. 5 depicts an example system architecture for network slicemanagement.

FIG. 6 shows a first example in which multiple bandwidth parts cansupport multiple network slices.

FIG. 7 shows a second example in which multiple bandwidth parts cansupport a single network slice.

FIG. 8 shows a third example in which a single bandwidth part cansupport multiple network slices.

FIG. 9 shows an example of types of input factors that a slice managercan consider when managing one or more network slices and/or bandwidthparts associated with the network slices.

FIG. 10 shows an example system architecture for a network access point.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of an example method that a slice manager at anetwork access point can use to manage combinations of network slicesand bandwidth parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Introduction

Network access points of a telecommunication network may supporttransmissions at frequencies in one or more spectrum bands. For example,a base station or other network access point may support low bandfrequencies, mid-band frequencies, and/or high band frequencies.Portions of such spectrum bands can be divided in various ways withinthe telecommunication network, for example using network slicing and/orbandwidth parts.

Network slicing allows multiple network slices to be created on a sharedphysical infrastructure. Each network slice can operate as anindependent virtual end-to-end network. Different network resources canbe allocated to each network slice. For example, different portions ofspectrum supported by a network access point can be allocated todifferent network slices. Accordingly, network slices that use differentnetwork resources may be effectively isolated from one another, suchthat issues with one network slice may be unlikely to impact anothernetwork slice.

In some cases, different network slices may be associated with differentuse cases, services, or applications. For instance, a fifth generation(5G) core network may create different network slices for EnhancedMobile Broadband (eMBB) applications, Massive Internet of Things (MIoT)applications, Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC)applications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications, and/or othertypes of applications.

Portions of spectrum can also be divided into different bandwidth parts.For example, different bandwidth parts can include different subsets ofphysical resource blocks of a spectrum band. Different bandwidth partsmay have different numerologies. For example, different bandwidth partswithin the same spectrum band may have different subcarrier spacingvalues. Different subcarrier spacing values may have different benefitsassociated with latency, throughput, and reliability.

Some telecommunication networks may allow a user equipment (UE) to beserved by multiple network slices simultaneously. For example, a UE maybe able to use a first network slice for an eMBB service and also use asecond network slice for a URLLC service. However, existingtelecommunication network standards may limit the UE to using a singleactive bandwidth part at a time. For instance, some telecommunicationnetworks restrict UEs to using one bandwidth part for upstreamcommunications and/or one bandwidth part for downstream communications.The UE may be able to switch between different bandwidth parts atdifferent times in such communication networks, but the UE may belimited to using one active bandwidth part at a time.

Accordingly, even if different bandwidth parts have numerologies thatmay help meet latency or throughput goals associated with differentservices and/or different network slices, the UE may be prevented fromusing more than one active bandwidth part at a time. Existing solutionsmay thus restrict how telecommunication networks and UEs can usebandwidth parts in combination with network slices.

The systems and methods described herein can allow a telecommunicationnetwork to select and/or reserve one or more bandwidth parts for usewith one or more network slices. As described herein, a UE can beconfigured to use one or more active bandwidth parts at a time.Accordingly, based on a configuration of bandwidth parts and networkslices by the telecommunication network, in some situations the UE canuse multiple active bandwidth parts simultaneously with respect to oneor more network slices. Various combinations of one or more bandwidthparts and one or more network slices can thus be used in different usecases, as described herein.

FIG. 1 shows an example network environment 100 in which a UE 102 canconnect to a telecommunication network to engage in communicationsessions for voice calls, video calls, messaging, data transfers, and/orany other type of communication. The UE 102 can be any device that canconnect to the telecommunication network. In some examples, the UE 102can be a mobile phone, such as a smart phone or other phone. In otherexamples, the UE 102 can be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mediaplayer, a tablet computer, a gaming device, a smart watch, a hotspot, aset top box, a streaming media player, a personal computer (PC) such asa laptop, desktop, or workstation, or any other type of computing orcommunication device.

The telecommunication network can include, or be associated with, anetwork access point 104. The UE 102 can connect to the network accesspoint 104 to receive data from the telecommunication network and/or senddata to the telecommunication network. In some examples, the UE 102 canestablish a wireless connection with the network access point 104. Inother examples, the UE 102 can connect to the network access point 104using a wired connection, such as via an Ethernet cable or other twistedpair cable or wire, via a fiber optic connection, or via any other typeof wired connection.

In some examples, the network access point 104 can be part of an accessnetwork associated with the telecommunication network. As a non-limitingexample, the network access point 104 can be a base station in a radioaccess network (RAN) that includes other base stations and/or othernetwork access points to which the UE 102 can connect. In otherexamples, the network access point 104 can be a WiFi® router or accesspoint, a wired access point, or another type of network access point.

In some examples, the telecommunication network can also have a corenetwork 106 linked to the network access point 104 and/or other elementsof an access network. For example, a transport link 108 can connect thenetwork access point 104 to one or more elements of the core network106. The transport link 108 can include fiber optic connections,microwave connections, and/or other type of backhaul data connectionthat connects the network access point 104 to the core network 106directly or via one or more intermediate network elements. Overall, theUE 102 can connect to the network access point 104, and in turn beconnected to the core network 106 via the network access point 104 andthe transport link 108. The core network 106 may also link the UE 102 toan Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), the Internet,and/or other networks.

The UE 102, the network access point 104, the access network, and/or thecore network 106 can be compatible with one or more access technologies,protocols, and/or standards. For example, the UE 102, the network accesspoint 104, and/or the core network 106 can support fifth generation (5G)New Radio (NR) technology, Long-Term Evolution (LTE)/LTE Advancedtechnology, other fourth generation (4G) technology, High-Speed DataPacket Access (HSDPA)/Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+)technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)technology, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology, WiMax® technology,WiFi® technology, and/or any other previous or future generation ofradio access technology. In some examples, the UE 102 and the networkaccess point 104 may also, or alternately, support wired broadbandaccess technologies or other wired access technologies, such as cable,twisted pair, or other wide area network (WAN) and/or local area network(LAN) technologies.

In some examples, the access network can be a 5G access network, and thenetwork access point 104 can be a 5G base station known as a gNB. Thecore network 106 can, in some examples, also be based on 5Gtechnologies. For instance, the core network 106 can be a 5G core (5GC)network. In other examples, the network access point 104 and/or the corenetwork 106 can be use or be compatible with LTE or other broadbandaccess technologies. For instance, the core network 106 can be an LTEpacket core network known as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5GC, or acombination of both an EPC and a 5GC, and may communicate with gNBsand/or LTE base stations known as eNBs. As another example, the accessnetwork can be a cable broadband distribution network, and the networkaccess point 104 can be a cable head end connected to the core network106.

The telecommunication network may, in some examples, have aservice-based system architecture in which different types of networkfunctions 110 operate alone and/or together to implement services. As anon-limiting example, a 5G network can include network functions 110such as an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and MobilityManagement Function (AMF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF),Policy Control Function (PCF), Session Management Function (SMF),Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), User PlaneFunction (UPF), Application Function (AF), and/or other networkfunctions 110. In some examples, the network functions 110 can also, oralternately, include one or more of a communication service managementfunction (CSMF), a network slice management function (NSMF), and anetwork slice subnet management function (NSSMF), as discussed in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 5 .

Some network functions 110 may execute in the core network 106. Forexample, the core network 106 can include one or more instances of anAMF, an SMF, a UPF, an AUSF, a PCF, a UDM, an NSSF, and/or other networkfunctions 110. In some examples, some network functions 110 may also, oralternately, execute at edge computing elements positioned between thenetwork access point 104 and the core network 106. In some examples, theUE 102 and/or the access network, including the network access point104, may also be considered to be network functions 110 of thetelecommunication network. Network functions 110 may be implementedusing dedicated hardware, as software on dedicated hardware, or asvirtualized functions on servers, cloud computing devices, or othercomputing devices.

The network access point 104 and the UE 102 may support datatransmissions at frequencies in one or more spectrum bands, such as lowband frequencies under 1 GHz, mid-band frequencies between 1 GHz and 6GHz, and/or high band frequencies above 6 GHz, including millimeter wave(mmW) frequencies above 24 GHz. As an example, a gNB may be configuredto support one or more of the bands shown below in Table 1, and/or oneor additional bands that are not listed here.

TABLE 1 Example Bands in 5G NR Spectrum Shorthand Uplink Downlink BandFrequency (MHz) Band (MHz) Band (MHz) n2 (Mid-Band) 1900 1850-19101930-1990 n12 (Low Band) 700 699-716 729-746 n25 (Mid-Band) 19001850-1915 1930-1995 n41 (Mid-Band) 2500 2496-2690 2496-2690 n66(Mid-Band) 1700 1710-1780 2110-2200 n71 (Low Band) 600 663-698 617-652n260 (mmW) 39000 (39 GHz) 37000-40000 37000-40000 n261 (mmW) 28000 (28GHz) 27500-28350 27500-28350

Different spectrum bands may have different attributes, cover differentlicensed and/or franchised areas, use different access technologies,and/or vary in other ways. For example, in some situations, low bandsmay use radio access technologies to cover the largest geographicalareas. As another example, low bands may be used in other situationswith metallic access technologies to serve LANs or WANs. In somesituations, mid-bands may cover smaller geographical areas than lowbands. Additionally, in some cases, mmW bands and other high bandsand/or wavelengths may cover smaller geographical areas than low bandsand/or mid-bands with radio access technologies, and/or be used in WANsand LANs with optical access technologies.

Additionally, different frequencies may be associated with differentmetrics, such as latency, throughput, reliability, supported bandwidths,and/or other metrics. For example, in some situations mmW bands may becapable of providing higher throughput and/or lower latencies thanmid-bands or low bands. As another example, low band frequencies maypropagate farther and/or have better penetration than higherfrequencies, such that low bands can be more accessible than mid-bandsor high bands in some cases.

The telecommunication network can include one or more network slices112. Each network slice 112 can be a virtual and independent end-to-endlogical network within the overall telecommunication network. End-to-endnetwork slicing can create different network slices 112 by allocatingresources of the core network 106, the transport link 108, and/or theaccess network to different network slices 112. End-to-end networkslicing can thus include one or more of core network slicing, transportslicing, and access network slicing.

A full end-to-end network slice 112 can be referred to as a NetworkSlice Instance (NSI). An NSI can include subgroups of managed functionsand resources associated with the core network 106, the transport link108, and/or the access network. Each subgroup of a full NSI can bereferred to as a Network Slice Subnet Instance (NSSI). For example, afull NSI can include an NSSI in the core network 106 and another NSSI inthe access network. In some examples, the network slices 112 shown inFIG. 1 can be access network portions of end-to-end network slices 112,such as access network NSSIs within NSIs that also extend through thetransport link 108 and core network 106. In other examples, the networkslices 112 shown in FIG. 1 can be full end-to-end network slices 112,such as NSIs that include access network NSSIs.

Network slicing can allow hardware resources, computing resources,access network resources, and/or other resources of the core network106, transport link 108, and/or access network to be shared amongdifferent network slices 112. For example, shared and/or differentresources of hardware, transport links 108, and/or other networkelements can be allocated to different network slices 112. Accordingly,relative to having distinct hardware, transport links 108, and/or othernetwork elements for different end-to-end networks, operational andcapital expenses can be reduced due implementing different virtualnetworks via different network slices 112 on shared hardware, transportlinks 108, and/or other network elements.

In some examples, different network slices 112 may be associated withshared network functions 110, and/or different network functions 110, atthe core network 106 and/or at edge computing elements. For instance,different network slices may be associated with a shared AMF and ashared NSSF, but be associated with different SMF, UPF, and PCFinstances.

In some examples, elements of the core network 106 may initially createnetwork slices 112. A particular network slice 112 may be associatedwith a Service Level Agreement (SLA), Quality of Service (QoS) level, orother service-based requirements or goals. For instance, an SLA for anetwork slice 112 may define types of services to be associated with thenetwork slice 112, target latency measurements for the network slice112, target throughput measurements for the network slice 112,reliability goals for the network slice 112, and/or other attributes ofthe network slice 112. As an example, an SLA may indicate a maximumlatency value, a minimum throughput value, a target maximum drop callrate or other reliability goal, and/or other goals. Accordingly, in someexamples the core network 106 may at least initially create or design anend-to-end network slice 112 with coordinated portions in the corenetwork 106, the transport link 108, and the access network that areexpected by the core network 106 to provide or meet the goals for thenetwork slice 112. An SLA or other information may also indicate aspecified location for a network slice 112. For example, an SLA mayindicate that a network slice 112 with particular attributes should beprovided in a certain city or neighborhood. Accordingly, the corenetwork 106 may cause a corresponding network slice 112 to be created inpart via at least one network access point in the specified location.

As a non-limiting example, an SLA for a particular network slice 112 mayindicate that the network slice 112 is intended for eMBB services.Because eMBB services may often involve relatively large datatransmissions, but be delay-tolerant, the SLA may indicate a relativelyhigh throughput goal for the network slice 112, and also allowrelatively high latencies on the network slice 112. However, in thisexample, a second SLA for a second network slice 112 may indicate thatthe second network slice 112 is intended for URLLC services. URLLCservices may prioritize low latency measurements and high reliability,and accordingly the second SLA may indicate a relatively low latencygoal and a relatively high reliability goal for the second network slice112.

Each network slice 112 can be identified using Single Network SliceSelection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI). The S-NSSAI of a networkslice 112 may indicate a Slice/Service Type (SST) of the network slice112. As an example, the SST of a network slice 112 may indicate that thenetwork slice 112 is intended for eMBB services, URLLC services, or MIoTservices. In some examples, the S-NSSAI may also indicate a SliceDifferentiator (SD). For example, if the telecommunication networkincludes multiple network slices 112 with an “eMBB” SST, each of thosemultiple eMBB network slices 112 may be distinguished using a differentSD value, such that each network slice 112 has a different S-NSSAIoverall.

In some examples, different network slices 112 may be created fordifferent types or groups of users, such as users associated withdifferent customers, different subscriber levels or tiers, or othercategories. As an example, UEs 102 associated with a particular companymay be directed to use an eMBB network slice 112 created for thatcompany's users, while other UEs 102 may be directed to use one or moreother eMBB network slices 112 created for general eMBB traffic or forother groups of users. Although each network slice 112 in this examplemay be intended for eMBB services, the different network slices 112 maybe associated with different SLAs with different throughput goals orother different attributes.

The UE 102 may be served by one or more network slices 112 associatedwith the network access point 104. As a non-limiting example, in somecases the telecommunication network may provide a first network slice112 for eMBB services, and a second network slice 112 for URLLCservices. In this example, if the UE 102 is using an URLLC service andan eMBB service simultaneously, the UE 102 may be served by both thefirst network slice 112 and the second network slice 112 simultaneouslyvia the network access point 104.

In some examples, elements of the core network 106 may initially selectone or more network slices 112 for the UE 102. For example, when the UE102 registers with the telecommunication network or sends a servicerequest to the core network 106, an AMF may retrieve subscriber profileinformation associated with the UE 102. The subscriber profileinformation may indicate S-NSSAIs of network slices 112 that the UE 102is permitted to access. The AMF may coordinate with an NSSF to select ormore specific network slices 112 for the UE 102 based on the networkregistration or service request, and based on which S-NSSAIs arepermissible for the UE 102.

In some examples, different portions of available resources can beallocated to different network slices 112 in the access network. Forinstance, the network access point 104 can be configured to usedifferent frequency bands, or different portions of one or morefrequency bands, for different network slices 112. Accordingly, althoughthe network access point 104 may be associated with multiple networkslices 112, each of the network slices 112 may be associated withdifferent ranges of frequencies supported by the network access point104. Accordingly, different network slices 112 can operate asindependent virtual networks at least in part because each network slice112 uses isolated and distinct resources of the network access point104.

Resources of the access network can also be divided into differentbandwidth parts 114. For example, different subsets of physical resourceblocks associated with spectrum supported by the network access point104 can be allocated to different bandwidth parts 114 of an allocatedchannel bandwidth (CBW). Bandwidth parts 114 can also be referred to as“BWPs.” Bandwidth parts 114 are discussed in more detail below withrespect to FIGS. 2-4 .

Spectrum supported by the network access point 104 can thus be allocatedto different network slices 112 and also be allocated to differentbandwidth parts 114 that may align with the network slices 112. In someexamples, multiple bandwidth parts 114 can support multiple networkslices 112. For instance, individual network slices 112 may beassociated with different bandwidth parts 114. In other examples,multiple bandwidth parts 114 can support a single network slice 112. Instill other examples, a single bandwidth part 114 can support or sharemultiple network slices 112.

The UE 102 can be configured to support one or more active bandwidthparts 114 at a time in a CBW. As an example, in situations in whichmultiple bandwidth parts 114 support multiple network slices 112, the UE102 may simultaneously use two or more bandwidth parts 114 that areassociated with two or more different network slices 112 whendownloading data. As another example, the UE 102 may simultaneously usetwo or more bandwidth parts 114 that are associated with one particularnetwork slice 112 when downloading data. The use of one or morebandwidth parts 114 in combination with one or more network slices 112is discussed in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 6-8 .

The network access point 104 can have a slice manager 116 configured tolocally manage and adjust network slices 112 associated with the networkaccess point 104, and/or bandwidth parts 114 associated with thosenetwork slices 112. For example, the slice manager 116 can determinewhich portions of spectrum to allocate to different network slices 112,and which portions of spectrum to allocate to different bandwidth parts114. The slice manager 116 can thus determine how one or more networkslices 112 relate to one or more bandwidth parts 114, for instance byaligning with one or more network slices 112 with one or more bandwidthparts 114, as will be discussed further below. As another example, theslice manager 116 can determine numerologies associated with individualbandwidth parts 114 associated with one or more network slices 112, aswill be discussed further below. In other examples, the slice manager116 can be located at another node of the access network, at an edgecomputing element, or in the core network 106.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a carrier 200 that includes multiplebandwidth parts 114, including a first bandwidth part 202A and a secondbandwidth part 202B. The carrier 200 can have a bandwidth that spans aportion of spectrum supported by the network access point 104. In some5G NR examples, the carrier 200 may have a bandwidth of up to 100 MHz inlow bands and mid-bands, or have a bandwidth of up to 400 MHz in mmWbands and other high bands. The carrier 200 can include a set ofphysical resource blocks, which can be subdivided into differentbandwidth parts 114. For example, different bandwidth parts 114 within acarrier 200, such as the first bandwidth part 202A and the secondbandwidth part 202B, can be associated with different sets of contiguousphysical resource blocks of the carrier 200.

Each bandwidth part 114 may have an associated numerology 204. Differentbandwidth parts 114 may have the same or different numerologies 204. Forexample, the first bandwidth part 202A can have a first numerology 204A,and the second bandwidth part 202B can have a second numerology 204B.The numerology of each bandwidth part 114 can be set independently, suchthat the first numerology 204A for the first bandwidth part 202A may bethe same or different from the second numerology 204B for the secondbandwidth part 202B.

The numerology 204 of a bandwidth part 114 can indicate a particularsubcarrier spacing value, a cyclic prefix (CP) type, and/or otherattributes of a waveform associated with the bandwidth part 114. Forexample, the first numerology 204A may indicate that a first subcarrierspacing value is used for the first bandwidth part 202A, while thesecond numerology 204B may indicate that a second subcarrier spacingvalue is used for the second bandwidth part 202B.

As an example, FIGS. 3 and 4 show example subcarrier spacings 302 inorthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms, which maycorrespond to numerologies 204 of bandwidth parts 114. The networkaccess point 104 may, at a physical layer, use an OFDM waveform, tocombine and transport multiple signals over the channel bandwidth of thecarrier 200. In OFDM, data streams can be encoded into OFDM symbols inpart based on operations such as an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform(IFFT). The UE 102 can perform an operation, such as a Fast FourierTransform, on received OFDM symbols to recover an original data stream.Similar operations can be used for transmissions from the UE 102 to thenetwork access point 104.

OFDM symbols for different data streams can be transmitted in parallelusing different subcarriers 304. Each resource block of the carrier 200may include multiple subcarriers 304, and accordingly each bandwidthpart 114 can also include multiple subcarriers 304. The subcarriers 304can be spread out over the overall bandwidth of the carrier 200according to subcarrier spacing 302 that causes individual subcarriers304 to be orthogonal in the frequency domain. For example, as shown inFIG. 3 , subcarrier spacing 302 can be chosen such that peaks ofindividual subcarriers 304 are positioned at frequencies where othersubcarriers 304 have nulls. This orthogonality can mitigate interferencebetween the subcarriers 304.

In some cases, because multipath propagation can cause a loss oforthogonality between subcarriers 304, portions of the ends of the OFDMsymbols can be added to the beginning of the OFDM symbols as CPs. TheCPs can serve as guard intervals that space out the OFDM symbols, and/orcan help a receiver distinguish between the OFDM symbols. In someexamples, normal or extended CP types can be used in differentsituations or with certain subcarrier spacing 302 values, as will bediscussed further below.

The subcarrier spacing 302 can be inversely proportional to the lengthof the OFDM symbols, such that larger subcarrier spacing 302 values canbe associated with shorter OFDM symbols, while shorter subcarrierspacing 302 values can be associated with longer OFDM symbols. In somecases, the length of CPs can similarly scale depending on the subcarrierspacing 302 in order to maintain a ratio of the length of the CPs to theoverall length of the OFDM symbols.

In LTE, the subcarrier spacing 302 may be fixed at 15 kHz. However, in5G NR and some other broadband access technologies, the subcarrierspacing 302 is scalable, such that the subcarrier spacing 302 can bechanged and/or set at different values. This can allow the subcarrierspacing 302 to vary between different subcarriers 304 in 5G NRtransmissions, as shown in the example of FIG. 4 . Accordingly, whendifferent subcarriers 304 with different subcarrier spacing 302 areassociated with different bandwidth parts 114, the different bandwidthparts 114 can have different numerologies 204.

In some examples, values for 5G NR subcarrier spacing 302 can bedetermined by the equation 2^(μ)·15 kHz, where μ is a non-negativeinteger. Such values include 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240kHz. Different numerologies 204 may be referred to using differentvalues for μ in the equation 2^(μ)·15 kHz, because different values forμ can define different subcarrier spacing 302 values.

In some examples, different subcarrier spacing 302 values can be allowedfor subcarriers based on a spectrum band associated with thesubcarriers. For example, in some cases the subcarrier spacing 302 inlow bands can be set at 15 kHz, 30 kHz, or 60 kHz, the subcarrierspacing 302 in mid-bands can be set at 30 kHz or 60 kHz, and thesubcarrier spacing 302 in high bands can be set at 60 kHz or 120 kHz.

Because different subcarrier spacing 302 values can be associated withOFDM symbols of different lengths, different numbers of OFDM symbols canbe sent during the same period of time when different OFDM numerologiesare used. For example, data can be scheduled to be sent within subframesof 1 ms each, with ten subframes fitting into a 10 ms radio frame.Depending on the subcarrier spacing 302, such subframe can have adifferent number of slots for OFDM symbols. When different numerologies204 are used, the different numerologies 204 can align on OFDM symbolboundaries in the time domain, such as every 1 ms between subframes.

The number of OFDM symbols that can fit into each slot can varyaccording to a CP type. In some examples, a normal CP type can allow 14OFDM symbols to fit into each slot, while an extended CP type can allow12 OFDM symbols to fit into each slot. In some examples, a normal CP canbe used with subcarrier spacing 302 values of 5 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120kHz, and 240 kHz, while an extended CP can also be used with a 60 kHzsubcarrier spacing 302. Table 2, shown below, shows a non-limitingexample of attributes of different numerologies 204 associated withdifferent subcarrier spacing 302 values and CP types, which can vary thenumber of slots per subframe and thus the total number of OFDM symbolsthat can be sent per subframe.

TABLE 2 Attributes of Different Numeralogies Number of Number of Numberof OFDM Slots OFDM Symbols Subcarrier Symbols per 1 ms per 1 ms μSpacing and CP Type per Slot Subframe Subframe 0 15 kHz (Normal CP) 14 114 1 30 kHz (Normal CP) 14 2 28 2 60 kHz (Normal CP) 14 4 56 2 60 kHz(Extended CP) 12 4 48 3 120 kHz (Normal CP) 14 8 112 4 240 kHz (NormalCP) 14 16 224

In some cases, a smaller subcarrier spacing 302 value can be desiredbecause the associated OFDM symbols are larger, even though fewer OFDMsymbols can be transmitted during a given period of time. For example,because larger OFDM symbols include larger CPs copied from the ends ofOFDM symbols, a smaller subcarrier spacing 302 value might be used whencopies of the data at the ends of OFDM symbols may be needed to reliablydecode the OFDM symbols. On the other hand, in some cases a largersubcarrier spacing 302 value can be desired because the associated OFDMsymbols are smaller and can be transmitted more frequently. Accordingly,in some examples a larger subcarrier spacing 302 value may result inlower latencies relative to smaller subcarrier spacing 302 values.

As discussed above, a slice manager 116 can manage network slices 112and associated bandwidth parts 114 at a network access point 104. One ormore bandwidth parts 114 may be associated with one or more networkslices 112. Accordingly, the slice manager 116 may determine or adjustnumerologies 204 associated with different bandwidth parts 114 and/ornetwork slices 112. For example, the slice manager 116 may determinevalues for subcarrier spacing 302 of each bandwidth part 114, a CP typefor each bandwidth part 114, and/or other attributes of the numerology204 for each distinct bandwidth part 114.

In some examples, the slice manager 116 may select numerologies 204 forbandwidth parts at a layer of a protocol stack, such as at a MediaAccess Control (MAC) layer, and cause the network access point 104 toimplement the selected numerologies 204 at a physical layer of theprotocol stack. Additionally, in some examples, the slice manager 116can cause the network access point 104 to send the UE 102 indications ofthe selected numerologies 204 for one or more bandwidth parts. Forexample, the network access point 104 can send a Radio Resource Control(RRC) message to the UE 102 that identifies the selected numerologies204 for one or more bandwidth parts. In some examples, the same RRCmessage, a different RRC message, or a different type of message sent bythe network access point 104 may also instruct the UE 102 to use one ormore specific network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114.

FIG. 5 depicts an example system architecture 500 for network slicemanagement. In the example of FIG. 5 , different services 502 can beassociated with different network slices. A communication servicemanagement function (CSMF) 504 in the core network 106 can assist withcreating the different network slices, for example by determining and/ortranslating requirements, goals, or other attributes associated with theservices 502 into target attributes for the network slices. For example,the services may be associated with SLAs, QoS levels, or other data thatidentifies latency goals, throughput goals, reliability goals, and/orother goals associated with the services. The CSMF 504 can translatesuch goals into attributes of corresponding network slices that mayassist with meeting the goals.

Additionally, a network slice management function (NSMF) 506 in the corenetwork 106 can create the network slices according to the targetattributes determined by the CSMF 504. The NSMF 506 can be configured tomanage and orchestrate the network slices, for instance over the lifecycles of the network slices from creation to termination. For example,the NSMF 506 can create NSIs 508 for the services 502, where the NSIs508 are distinct end-to-end network slices associated with each of theservices 502. The NSMF 506 may also select network functions to beassociated with the NSIs 508, determine or create NSSIs associated withthe NSIs 508, and/or perform other operations to manage the NSIs 508.

The telecommunication network can also include at least one networkslice subnet management function (NSSMF) 510. The NSSMF 510 can beconfigured to manage and orchestrate NSSIs 512 associated with the NSI508. In some examples, the NSMF 506 may operate at a virtual layer,while the NSSMF 510 operates at a physical layer to implement the NSSIs512. As discussed above, an end-to-end network slice can includeportions in the core network, in the transport link 108, and/or in theaccess network. Accordingly, an NSI 508 associated with a service 502can include a core network NSSI, a transport NSSI, and/or an accessnetwork NSSI. As shown in the example of FIG. 5 , service 502A may beassociated with NSI 508A and NSSI 512A, service 502B may be associatedwith NSI 508B and NSSI 512B, and service 502C may be associated with NSI508C and NSSI 512C.

The NSSMF 510 can be configured to manage and orchestrate one or moretypes of NSSIs 512, such as core network NSSIs 512, transport NSSIs 512,and/or access network NSSIs 512. The NSSMF 510 can include, or interfacewith, an access network slice subnet management function 514 thatmanages access network NSSIs 512 or assists with management of accessnetwork NSSIs 512. In some examples, the NSSMF 510 can also include orinterface with a core network slice subnet management function and/or atransport network slice subnet management function. The core networkslice subnet management function can manage, or assist with managingcore network NSSIs 512. The transport network slice subnet managementfunction can manage, or assist with managing transport NSSIs 512.

As discussed above, the network access point 104 in the access networkcan include the slice manager 116. In some examples, the slice manager116 may be an access network slice subnet management function 514 thatcan manage and orchestrate NSSIs 512 associated with the network accesspoint 104. For instance, the slice manager 116 in the network accesspoint 104 can be an access network slice subnet management function 514that is, or communicates with, the NSSMF 510 that manages NSSIs 512associated with the network access point 104. In other examples, theslice manager 116 may be an access network slice subnet managementfunction 514 that coordinates with and/or assists a different NSSMF 510in the core network 106. In still other examples, the slice manager 116may be, or may assist, the NSMF 506 that manages NSIs 508 associatedwith the network access point 104.

Accordingly, the slice manager 116 can be an NSMF 506, NSSMF 510, oraccess network slice subnet management function 514 that can determineattributes of network slices 112 and bandwidth parts 114 associated withthe network access point 104. For example, the slice manager 116 candetermine frequencies allocated to network slices 112 and bandwidthparts 114, determine alignments between network slices 112 and bandwidthparts 114, determine numerologies 204 for bandwidth parts 114 associatedwith one or more network slices 112, and/or determine other attributesof network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114.

FIG. 6 shows a first example in which multiple bandwidth parts cansupport multiple network slices. In the example of FIG. 6 , frequenciesassociated with a first bandwidth part 602A can align with frequenciesassociated with a first network slice 604A, while frequencies associatedwith a second bandwidth part 602B can align with frequencies associatedwith a second network slice 604B. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6 ,different network slices may align with different bandwidth parts.Additionally, because the numerologies 204 of different bandwidth partscan be set independently, different network slices may be associatedwith bandwidth parts that have the same or different numerologies 204,such as different subcarrier spacing values. Although FIG. 6 shows twobandwidth parts aligning with two network slices, in other examplesthree or more bandwidth parts can align with three or more networkslices.

The UE 102 may use the first bandwidth part 602A in association with thefirst network slice 604A, use the second bandwidth part 602B inassociation with the second network slice 604, or use both the firstbandwidth part 602A and the second bandwidth part 602B simultaneously inassociation with the first network slice 604A and the second networkslice 604B. For example, the UE 102 can use a first numerology 204associated with the first bandwidth part 602A to download data inassociation with the first network slice 604A, and simultaneously use asecond numerology 204 associated with the second bandwidth part 602B todownload data in association with the second network slice 604B.

As a non-limiting example, SLAs for the first network slice 604A and thesecond network slice 604B may indicate that the first network slice 604Ais intended for eMBB services and that the second network slice 604B isintended for URLLC services. The slice manager 116 may allocate a firstportion of spectrum to the first network slice 604A and a second portionof spectrum to the second network slice 604B. The slice manager 116 mayalso associate a set of resource blocks within the first portion ofspectrum with the first bandwidth part 602A, and associate a set ofresource blocks within the second portion of spectrum with the secondbandwidth part 602B. The slice manager 116 can further set thenumerologies 204 of the first bandwidth part 602A aligned with the firstnetwork slice 604A and of the second bandwidth part 602B aligned withthe second network slice 604B. For instance, when SLA data indicatesthat lower latencies are prioritized more in the second network slice604B (for URLLC services) than in the first network slice 604A (for eMBBservices), the slice manager 116 may set the subcarrier spacing of thesecond bandwidth part 602B to a larger value than the subcarrier spacingof the first bandwidth part 602A, because higher subcarrier spacingvalues may lead to lower latencies in some cases.

FIG. 7 shows a second example in which multiple bandwidth parts cansupport a single network slice. In the example of FIG. 7 , frequenciesassociated with a first bandwidth part 702A can align with a firstportion of frequencies associated with a network slice 704, whilefrequencies associated with a second bandwidth part 702B can align witha second portion of frequencies associated with the same network slice704. Although FIG. 7 shows two bandwidth parts aligning with a singlenetwork slice, in other examples three or more bandwidth parts can alignwith a single network slice.

Each of the bandwidth parts associated with the network slice 704 canhave individually-set numerologies 204. For example, the first bandwidthpart 702A and the second bandwidth part 702B may have the samenumerology 204 or different numerologies 204. The UE 102 may use eitherthe first bandwidth part 702A or the second bandwidth part 702B, or boththe first bandwidth part 702A and the second bandwidth part 702Bsimultaneously, in association with the network slice 704.

In some examples, different bandwidth parts associated with the samenetwork slice may be associated with different types of network traffic,such as traffic associated with different services. For example,although the network slice 704 may be associated with URLLC servicesoverall, the first bandwidth part 702A may be associated with a firstURLLC service and the second bandwidth part 702B may be associated witha second URLLC service. The slice manager 116 may set the numerologies204 of the first bandwidth part 702A and the second bandwidth part 702Bseparately based on attributes or goals of the first URLLC service andthe second URLLC service. Although both services may be URLLC servicesin this example, the first URLLC service may tolerate slightly higherlatencies than the second URLLC service. Accordingly, the slice manager116 may set the numerology 204 of the second bandwidth part 702B,associated with the less delay-tolerant second URLLC service, to ahigher subcarrier spacing value than numerology 204 of the firstbandwidth part 702A, because higher subcarrier spacing values may leadto lower latencies in some cases. Here, if the UE 102 is using the firstURLLC service and the second URLLC service simultaneously via the samenetwork slice 704, the UE 102 can use a first numerology 204 associatedwith the first bandwidth part 702A to download data associated with thefirst URLLC service, and simultaneously use a second numerology 204associated with the second bandwidth part 702B to download dataassociated with the second URLLC service.

FIG. 8 shows a third example in which a single bandwidth part cansupport multiple network slices. In the example of FIG. 8 , frequenciesassociated with a bandwidth part 802 can span portions of frequenciesthat have been allocated among multiple network slices, such as a firstnetwork slice 804A and a second network slice 804B. Although FIG. 8shows a single bandwidth part 802 that aligns with two network slices,in other examples a single bandwidth part 802 may span frequenciesallocated to three or more network slices.

The bandwidth part 802 shown in the example of FIG. 8 can have anassociated numerology 204, as discussed above. Accordingly, because thebandwidth part 802 can span two or more network slices, the numerology204 of the bandwidth part 802 can be used in association with any or allof those network slices.

In some examples, the bandwidth part 802 may associated with aparticular service, such as an eMBB service, URLLC service, or MIoTservice. However, the different network slices associated with thebandwidth part 802 may be associated with different customers,subscriber tiers, or other attributes. For example, a UE associated witha first customer may use the first network slice 804A to access aparticular service associated with the bandwidth part 802, while anotherUE associated with a second customer may use the second network slice804B to access the same service associated with the bandwidth part 802.Accordingly, although different UEs may connect to the network accesspoint 104 using either the first network slice 804A or the secondnetwork slice 804B to access the service, the UEs may use the bandwidthpart 802, and/or the numerology 204 associated with the bandwidth part802, when downloading data associated with the service.

FIG. 9 shows a non-limiting example 900 of types of input factors thatthe slice manager 116 can consider when managing one or more networkslices 112 and/or bandwidth parts associated with the network slices112. The input factors can include one or more of: spectrum bandinformation 902, allowed numerologies 904, UE network accesscapabilities 906, allowed network slices 908, SLA information 910, mediacondition information 912, key performance indicators (KPIs) 914, andapplication identifiers 916.

The spectrum band information 902 can include information about whichspectrum bands the network access point 104 supports. For example, thespectrum band information 902 may indicate that the network access point104 supports the n71 low band and the n41 mid-band. In this example, thespectrum band information 902 can indicate that the slice manager 116can allocate portions of spectrum from the n71 band and/or the n41 bandamong network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114 associated with thenetwork access point 104. Because different network access points maysupport different bands, the spectrum band information 902 can indicateto the slice manager 116 which bands are supported by a particularnetwork access point.

The spectrum band information 902 may, in some examples, also indicate acurrent allocation of radio resources or other spectrum resources toeach network slice 112 and/or to each bandwidth part 114. For example,the spectrum band information 902 may identify specific portions ofradio resources or other spectrum resources currently allocated to eachnetwork slice 112 and/or each bandwidth part 114, numerologies 204currently used for each bandwidth part 114, and/or other informationabout current resource allocations. The slice manager 116 may use suchinformation to determine how resources of the network access point 104can be adjusted with respect to one or more network slices 112 and/orone or more bandwidth parts 114.

The allowed numerologies 904 can indicate which numerologies 204 arepermitted for each band or portion of spectrum supported by the networkaccess point 104 that may be associated with one or more network slices112 and/or bandwidth parts 114. For example, the allowed numerologies904 may indicate that the subcarrier spacing 302 for a bandwidth part114 in a low band is permitted to be 15 kHz, 30 kHz, or 60 kHz, that thesubcarrier spacing 302 for a bandwidth part 114 in a mid-band ispermitted to be 30 kHz or 60 kHz, and that the subcarrier spacing 302for a bandwidth part 114 in a high band is permitted to be 60 kHz or 120kHz.

The UE network access capabilities 906 can indicate radio capabilitiesand/or other network access capabilities of the UE 102. For instance,the UE network access capabilities 906 may indicate which spectrum bandsthe UE 102 supports, which numerologies 204 the UE 102 supports, and/orother information about network access capabilities of the UE 102. Insome examples, an element of the core network 106, such as an AMF, canprovide the network access point 104 with information about networkaccess capabilities of the UE 102. For instance, when the UE 102 sends aprotocol data unit (PDU) service request, or other type of servicerequest, to the network access point 104, the network access point 104can forward the service request to an AMF. The AMF can look upinformation about the radio capabilities and/or other network accesscapabilities of the UE 102 in response to the service request, andreturn the UE network access capabilities 906 to the network accesspoint 104 In other examples, the UE 102 may transmit information to thenetwork access point 104 that indicates network access capabilities ofthe UE 102.

The allowed network slices 908 can identify one or more network slices112 that the UE 102 is permitted to access. For example, some networkslices 112 may be reserved for certain subscriber types or tiers, usersassociated with certain customers, and/or other groups. In someexamples, an element of the core network 106, such as an AMF, canprovide the network access point 104 with information about whichnetwork slices 112 the UE 102 is permitted to use. For instance, whenthe UE 102 submits a service request to the network access point 104,the network access point 104 can forward the service request to the AMF,the AMF can determine from subscriber data or other data which NSSAIsthe UE 102 is allowed to access, and the AMF can provide a list of theallowed NSSAIs to the network access point 104.

The SLA information 910 can indicate SLA requirements or goals fornetwork slices 112. An SLA for a network slice 112 may define types ofservices to be associated with the network slice 112, target latencymeasurements for the network slice 112, target throughput measurementsfor the network slice 112, reliability goals for the network slice 112,and/or other attributes of the network slice 112. In some examples, theSLA information 910 for a network slice 112 may also indicate how manybandwidth parts 114 can be associated with the network slice 112. Forinstance, the SLA information 910 may indicate a predefined number ofbandwidth parts 114 for the network slice 112, a minimum number ofbandwidth parts 114 for the network slice 112, or a maximum number ofbandwidth parts 114 for the network slice 112.

The media condition information 912 can be signal strength informationand other information associated with a connection medium provided bythe UE 102 and/or other UEs connected to the network access point 104.In some examples, the media condition information 912 can indicate radioconditions associated with wireless connections with respect to one ormore UEs. In other examples, the media condition information 912 canindicate conditions associated with wired connections with respect toone or more UEs, such as signal strengths or other conditions overcoaxial cable or twisted pair wires. The media condition information 912reported by UEs 102 may be associated with one or more network slices112 and/or one or more bandwidth parts 114. For example, the UE 102 canprovide signal strength measurements associated with one or more networkslices 112 and/or one or more bandwidth parts 114. If a particularportion of spectrum is allocated to a network slice 112 and/or bandwidthpart 114, but the media condition information 912 indicates that UEshave experienced low signal strengths with respect to that particularportion of spectrum, the slice manager 116 may determine to re-allocateavailable spectrum among network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114to improve signal strengths experienced by UEs with respect to thenetwork slice 112 and/or bandwidth part 114.

The KPIs 914 can include other performance indicators with respect toone or more network slices 112 and/or one or more bandwidth parts 114.For example, the KPIs 914 can include bandwidth measurements, latencymeasurements, throughput measurements, load metrics, and/or any otherperformance metric associated with network slices 112 and/or bandwidthparts 114.

As a first example, the KPIs 914 can include latency informationassociated with a connection between the network access point 104 andthe UE 102, and/or end-to-end latency information regarding end-to-endtransmissions associated with a network slice 112. For example, the UE102 may provide a round-trip time measured by the UE 102 in associationwith a particular combination of a network slice 112 and a bandwidthpart 114, which may be indicative of an end-to-end latency associatedwith a particular network slice 112. As another example, a UE report mayindicate a latency value associated with an air interface between the UE102 and the network access point 104, and the slice manager 116 mayseparately determine latencies associated with processing at the networkaccess point 104 at one or more protocol layers, latencies oftransmissions via the transport link 108, and/or latencies due toprocessing or transmission in the core network 106. Accordingly, theslice manager 116 can combine air interface latency information, networkaccess point latency information, transport link latency information,and/or core network latency information associated with a particularnetwork slice 112 and/or bandwidth part 114 to determine an end-to-endlatency associated with that network slice 112 and/or bandwidth part114.

As a second example, the KPIs 914 can include loading information, suchas information about capacity and utilization of the network slices 112in the RAN, the transport link 108, and/or the core network 106. Forexample, based on current radio or spectrum resources allocated to eachnetwork slice 112 by the network access point 104, access networkloading information may indicate a maximum number of UEs that can beconnected via each network slice 112. The access network loadinginformation can also indicate a current number of UEs that are connectedto each network slice 112. The access network loading information mayalso indicate a utilization level for each network slice 112, based onthe current number of UEs connected via each network slice 112 relativeto the maximum capacity for those network slices 112.

As a third example, the KPIs 914 can include user experience metrics,such as latency measurements, throughput measurements, reliabilitymeasurements, and/or other metrics that may be impact the experiences ofusers of UEs connected to the network access point 104 with respect toparticular network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114. In someexamples, the user experience metrics can be derived from UE reportssubmitted by UEs. In other examples, the user experience metrics canalso, or alternately, be based on measurements performed by networkaccess point 104 with respect to particular network slices 112 and/orbandwidth parts 114.

The application identifiers 916 can be received from the UE 102, and mayindicate particular services or applications the UE 102 is using orrequesting in association with network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts114. For example, an application identifier 916 may be included in a UEreport or in a service request sent by the UE 102. In some examples, theUE 102 can also send additional application-level or service-levelinformation along with, or in addition to, an application identifier916, such as an operating system identifier (OS ID), data network name(DNN), and/or other information. In some examples, an applicationidentifier 916, OS ID, DNN, and/or other information may correspond to aparticular service attribute or goal, such as a latency, throughput, orreliability goal.

In some examples, Quality of Experience (QoE) goals, or other goals,associated with an application identifier 916 may be different fromgoals in an SLA for a network slice 112. For instance, although SLAinformation 910 may indicate that a network slice 112 is for URLLCservices and/or indicate a particular maximum latency goal for thenetwork slice 112, an application identifier 916 may indicate that theUE 102 is executing a particular application that has an even lowermaximum latency goal. As an example, the application identifier 916 mayindicate that the UE 102 is executing, via a combination of a networkslice 112 and a bandwidth part 114, a cloud gaming application thatoperates best at latencies under 15 ms. If the SLA information 910 forthe network slice 112 identifies a maximum latency of 30 ms, the slicemanager 116 may nevertheless adjust subcarrier spacing 302 or otheraspects of the numerology 204 for the bandwidth part 114 in an attemptto achieve latencies that are under the 15 ms goal associated with theapplication identifier 916, rather than the higher 30 ms goal that wouldotherwise be associated with the network slice 112.

In other examples, the slice manager 116 can use application identifiers916 for admission control, loading control, or other radio resourcemanagement functions. For example, if the UE 102 sends a first PDUsession request with an application identifier 916 for a voice callapplication and a second PDU session request with an applicationidentifier 916 for a gaming application, the slice manager 116 maydetermine that the UE 102 should be admitted to a first network sliceand bandwidth part combination for traffic of the voice call applicationand to a second network slice and bandwidth part combination for trafficof the gaming application.

FIG. 10 shows an example system architecture for a network access point1000, in accordance with various examples. In some examples, the networkaccess point 1000 can be a 5G base station, such as a gNB. In otherexamples, the network access point 1000 can be compatible with anothertype or generation of access technology. As shown, the network accesspoint 1000 can include processor(s) 1002, memory 1004, and transmissionhardware 1006.

The processor(s) 1002 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or anyother type of processing unit. Each of the one or more processor(s) 1002may have numerous arithmetic logic units (ALUs) that perform arithmeticand logical operations, as well as one or more control units (CUs) thatextract instructions and stored content from processor cache memory, andthen executes these instructions by calling on the ALUs, as necessary,during program execution. The processor(s) 1002 may also be responsiblefor executing all computer-executable instructions and/or computerapplications stored in the memory 1004.

In various examples, the memory 1004 can include system memory, whichmay be volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory,etc.) or some combination of the two. The memory 1004 can also includeadditional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) suchas, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Memory 1004 canfurther include non-transitory computer-readable media, such as volatileand nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information, such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.System memory, removable storage, and non-removable storage are allexamples of non-transitory computer-readable media. Examples ofnon-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other non-transitory medium which can be used tostore the desired information and which can be accessed by the networkaccess point 1000. Any such non-transitory computer-readable media maybe part of the network access point 1000.

The memory 1004 can store computer-readable instructions and/or otherdata associated with operations of the network access point 1000. Forexample, the memory 1004 can store data for the slice manager 116,including computer-executable instructions for the slice manager 116,data associated with input factors 1008 considered by the slice manager116, such as the input factors shown in FIG. 9 , and/or any other dataassociated with the slice manager 116. As described herein, the slicemanager 116 at the network access point 1000 can use the input factors1008 to manage network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114 associatedwith the network access point 1000.

The memory 1004 can further store other modules and data 1010, which canbe utilized by the network access point 1000 to perform or enableperforming any action taken by the network access point 1000. Themodules and data 1010 can include a platform, operating system,firmware, and/or applications, and data utilized by the platform,operating system, firmware, and/or applications.

The transmission hardware 1006 can include one or more modems,receivers, transmitters, antennas, error correction units, symbol codersand decoders, processors, chips, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), programmable circuit (e.g., field programmable gatearrays), firmware components, and/or other components that can establishconnections with one or more UEs 102, other network access points,elements of the core network 106, and/or other network elements, and cantransmit data over such connections. For example, the transmissionhardware 1006 can establish one or more connections with the UE 102 overair interfaces and/or wired connections, and a connection with the corenetwork 106 via the transport link 108. In some examples, thetransmission hardware 1006 can also support transmissions using one ormore radio access technologies, such as 5G NR, as discussed above.

The transmission hardware 1006 may also support one or more spectrumbands, such as low bands, mid-bands, and/or high bands. The transmissionhardware 1006 may also support one or more access technologies, such asradio access technologies, wired access technologies over coaxial cable,twisted pair wire, or other wired connections, and/or other accesstechnologies. The transmission hardware 1006 may be configured toallocate different portions of the one or more spectrum bands todifferent network slices 112 and/or bandwidth parts 114, based ondeterminations by the slice manager 116 described herein. For example,the slice manager 116 can cause the transmission hardware 1006 tore-allocate or otherwise adjust radio resources and/or other spectrumresources of the network access point 1000 associated with combinationsof one or more network slices 112 and one or more bandwidth parts 114.As another example, the slice manager 116 can cause the transmissionhardware 1006 to set or adjust numerologies 204 of one or more bandwidthparts 114 that align with one or more network slices 112.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of an example method 1100 that the slicemanager 116 at the network access point 104 can use to managecombinations of network slices 112 and bandwidth parts 114. At block1102, the network access point 104 can receive a service request fromthe UE 102. For example, the UE 102 can send a PDU service request tothe network access point 104 via an RRC message. In some examples, theservice request can include or otherwise indicate and applicationidentifier 916 associated with the service request.

At block 1104, the slice manager 116 can determine one or more inputfactors associated with the UE 102. For example, the slice manager 116may use spectrum band information 902 to determine which bands thenetwork access point 104 supports, use allowed numerologies 904 todetermine which numerologies 204 can be used with the supported bands,use UE network access capabilities 906 and allowed network slices 908 todetermine potential combinations of network slices 112 and bandwidthparts 114 that could be assigned to the UE 102, and/or determine or useother input factors discussed above with respect to FIG. 9 .

In some examples, the network access point 104 can forward the servicerequest received from the UE 102 at block 1102 to an AMF or othernetwork elements in the core network 106. Such elements of the corenetwork 106 may look up information associated with the UE 102, such asa user account, subscription type, or other data, and returncorresponding information to the network access point 104. As anexample, an AMF may use a registration status of the UE 102 and/orlocation data associated with the UE 102 or the network access point 104to select one or more allowed network slices for the UE 102, incoordination with an NSSF and/or a UDM. The AMF may accordingly returninformation to the network access point 104 that includes UE networkaccess capabilities 906 and/or allowed network slices 908, such as anidentification of a particular network slice 112 selected for the UE 102by the AMF and/or NSSF. The slice manager 116 can use such informationreceived from the core network, as well as information received from theUE 102 in the service request or in other messages, and/or informationdetermined by the slice manager 116 or other elements of the networkaccess point 104, as input factors at block 1104.

At block 1106, the slice manager 116 can use the input factors todetermine a combination of a bandwidth part 114 and a network slice 112for the UE 102 in response to the service request. In some examples, thecore network 106 may have indicated a set of one or more network slices112 that the UE 102 is permitted to access. The slice manager 116 mayselect one of those network slices 112 for the UE 102, such as a networkslice 112 associated with an SLA associated with the service or anetwork slice 112 that has attributes that align with goals for theservice. In other examples, the core network 106 may have identified aparticular network slice 112 for the UE 102 in response to the servicerequest, and the slice manager 116 can thus select the network slice 112identified by the core network 106. The slice manager 116 can alsocreate or select a bandwidth part 114 associated with the selectednetwork slice 112, which the slice manager 116 can assign to the UE 102along with the network slice 112.

At block 1108, the slice manager 116 can determine or adjust anumerology 204 for the selected bandwidth part 114. For example, basedon an application identifier 916 or any other input factors, the slicemanager 116 can select a numerology 204 to use with the selectedbandwidth part 114. In some examples, the slice manager 116 may select anumerology 204 for the bandwidth part 114 that may assist in providinglatencies, throughput, or reliability measurements that meet one or moreQoE goals associated with the application identifier 916.

At block 1110, the slice manager 116 can instruct the UE 102 to use theselected combination of the network slice 112 and the bandwidth part114. For example, the slice manager 116 can send an RRC connectionreconfiguration message to the UE 102 that indicates to the UE 102 thatthe UE 102 should use the selected network slice 112 and the selectedbandwidth part 114 for traffic of the service associated with theservice request. The instruction sent at block 1110 can also identifythe numerology 204 selected by the slice manager 116 for the bandwidthpart 114.

In some examples, the operations shown in the example of FIG. 11 can berepeated for different service requests sent by the UE 102. For example,if the network access point 104 receives multiple service requests fromthe same UE 102 at block 1102, the slice manager 116 can determine acombination of a network slice 112 and a bandwidth part 114 for eachdifferent service request according to the operations shown in FIG. 11 .Similarly, the slice manager 116 may perform the operations shown inFIG. 11 in association with a first service request from the UE 102, andthen subsequently perform the operations shown in FIG. 11 in associationwith a later second service request received from the UE 102 while theUE 102 is still using a first service associated with the first servicerequest.

For instance, if the UE 102 submits service requests for two differentservices simultaneously or at different times, the slice manager 116 candetermine a first combination of a network slice 112 and a bandwidthpart 114 for a first service, and also determine a second combination ofa network slice 112 and a bandwidth part 114 for a second service. TheUE 102 can then use the first combination and the second combinationsimultaneously for traffic of the respective services. In some examples,the first combination and the second combination may have entirelydifferent network slices 112 and bandwidth parts 114, for instance asshown in the example of FIG. 6 . However, in other examples, the firstcombination and the second combination may have a common network slice112 and different bandwidth parts 114, for instance as shown in theexample of FIG. 7 . In still other examples, the first combination andthe second combination may have a common bandwidth part 114 anddifferent network slices 112, for instance as shown in the example ofFIG. 8 .

As a non-limiting example, at a first point in time the UE 102 maysubmit a first service request associated with an eMBB service. The UE102 may be located at a position that is covered by mid-band spectrum ofthe network access point 104, but is not covered by a high band of thenetwork access point 104. Input factors, such as allowed network slices908, may indicate that the UE 102 can be admitted to a first networkslice 112 associated with the mid-band spectrum for the eMBB service.

The slice manager 116 can create and/or select a first bandwidth part114 that aligns with at least a portion of the first network slice 112,and can select a first numerology 204 for the first bandwidth part 114.For example, the slice manager 116 may select the first numerology 204based on an application identifier 916 of the eMBB service, based onKPIs 914 associated with the first network slice 112 or the firstbandwidth part 114, based on SLA information 910 for the first networkslice 112, based on UE network access capabilities 906, based on allowednumerologies 904, and/or based on any other input factors.

Accordingly, the slice manager 116 can select a first combination of thefirst network slice 112 and the first bandwidth part 114, associatedwith the first numerology 204, in response to the first service request.The slice manager 116 can thus instruct the UE 102 to use the selectedfirst combination in response to the first service request.

At a second point in time, the UE 102 may submit a second servicerequest associated with a URLLC service, such as a cloud gaming service.The UE 102 may still be using the eMBB service associated with the firstservice request, via the first combination of the first network slice112 and the first bandwidth part 114, when the UE 102 sends the secondservice request to the network access point 104. At the second point intime, the UE 102 may still be located at a position that is covered bythe mid-band spectrum of the network access point 104, and is notcovered by the high band spectrum of the network access point 104. Inputfactors, such as allowed network slices 908, may indicate that the UE102 can be admitted to a second network slice 112 associated with themid-band spectrum for the URLLC service.

The slice manager 116 can create and/or select a second bandwidth part114 that aligns with at least a portion of the second network slice 112,and can select a second numerology 204 for the second bandwidth part114. For example, the slice manager 116 may select the second numerology204 based on an application identifier 916 of the URLLC service, basedon KPIs 914 associated with the second network slice 112 or the secondbandwidth part 114, based on SLA information 910 for the second networkslice 112, based on UE network access capabilities 906, based on allowednumerologies 904, and/or based on any other input factors.

In some examples, the second numerology 204 selected for the secondbandwidth part 114 may be different from the first numerology 204selected for the second bandwidth part 114. For example, although boththe first network slice 112 and the second network slice 112 may be inthe same mid-band supported by the network access point 104, such as then41 band, the slice manager 116 may determine to use a larger subcarrierspacing value for the second bandwidth part 114 than the first bandwidthpart 114. For instance, because the first bandwidth part 114 is beingused for a more delay-tolerant eMBB service, and the second bandwidthpart 114 is being used for a less delay-tolerant cloud gaming URLLCservice, the slice manager 116 may determine to use a 30 kHz subcarrierspacing for the first bandwidth part 114 and use 60 kHz subcarrierspacing for the second bandwidth part 114 because the 60 kHz subcarrierspacing may provide lower latencies to the cloud gaming URLLC service.

Accordingly, the slice manager 116 can select a second combination ofthe second network slice 112 and the second bandwidth part 114,associated with the second numerology 204, in response to the secondservice request. The slice manager 116 can thus instruct the UE 102 touse the selected second combination in response to the second servicerequest. The slice manager 116 may therefore cause the UE 102 tosimultaneously use the first combination for the first service and thesecond combination for the second service, such that the UE 102 can usetwo active bandwidth parts simultaneously.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specificfeatures or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and actsdescribed above are disclosed as example embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a networkaccess point of a telecommunication network and from a user equipment(UE), a service request associated with a service; determining, by thenetwork access point, a combination of a network slice associated withthe network access point and a bandwidth part associated with thenetwork slice; sending, by the network access point and to the UE, amessage instructing the UE to use the network slice and the bandwidthpart for network traffic associated with the service; receiving, by thenetwork access point and from the UE, a second service requestassociated with a second service; determining, by the network accesspoint, a second combination of a second network slice associated withthe network access point and a second bandwidth part associated with thesecond network slice; and sending, by the network access point and tothe UE, a second message instructing the UE to use the second networkslice and the second bandwidth part for second network trafficassociated with the second service, wherein the message and the secondmessage cause the UE to simultaneously use the bandwidth part and thesecond bandwidth part.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining, by the network access point, a numerology for the bandwidthpart associated with the network slice.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the network access point determines the numerology for thebandwidth part based at least on a goal associated with the networkslice or the service.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the goal is alatency goal, a throughput goal, or a reliability goal.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the second message causes the UE to simultaneously use:the combination of the network slice and the bandwidth part for thenetwork traffic of the service; and the second combination of the secondnetwork slice and the second bandwidth part for the second networktraffic of the second service.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining, by the network access point, a first numerologyfor the bandwidth part and a second numerology for the second bandwidthpart.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network slice and the secondnetwork slice are different network slices, and the bandwidth part andthe second bandwidth part are different bandwidth parts.
 8. The methodof claim 1, wherein the network slice and the second network slice are asame network slice, and the bandwidth part and the second bandwidth partare different bandwidth parts.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thenetwork access point determines the combination of the network slice andthe bandwidth part based on one or more input factors that include atleast one of: spectrum band information, allowed numerologies, UEnetwork access capabilities, allowed network slices, Service LevelAgreement (SLA) information, media condition information, keyperformance indicators, or application identifiers.
 10. A network accesspoint, comprising: one or more processors; memory storingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a service requestassociated with a service; determining a combination of a network sliceassociated with the network access point and a bandwidth part associatedwith the network slice; sending, to the UE, a message instructing the UEto use the network slice and the bandwidth part for network trafficassociated with the service; receiving, from the UE, a second servicerequest associated with a second service; determining a secondcombination of a second network slice associated with the network accesspoint and a second bandwidth part associated with the second networkslice; and sending, to the UE, a second message instructing the UE touse the second network slice and the second bandwidth part for secondnetwork traffic associated with the second service, wherein the messageand the second message cause the UE to simultaneously use the bandwidthpart and the second bandwidth part.
 11. The network access point ofclaim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining anumerology for the bandwidth part associated with the network slice. 12.The network access point of claim 11, wherein: the network access pointdetermines the numerology for the bandwidth part based at least on agoal associated with the network slice or the service; and the goal is alatency goal, a throughput goal, or a reliability goal.
 13. The networkaccess point of claim 10, wherein the second message causes the UE tosimultaneously use: the combination of the network slice and thebandwidth part for the network traffic of the service; and the secondcombination of the second network slice and the second bandwidth partfor the second network traffic of the second service.
 14. The networkaccess point of claim 10 wherein the operations further comprisedetermining a first numerology for the bandwidth part and a secondnumerology for the second bandwidth part.
 15. The network access pointof claim 10, wherein the combination of the network slice and thebandwidth part is determined based on one or more input factors thatinclude at least one of: spectrum band information, allowednumerologies, UE network access capabilities, allowed network slices,Service Level Agreement (SLA) information, media condition information,key performance indicators, or application identifiers.
 16. One or morenon-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a networkaccess point, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a service requestassociated with a service; determining a combination of a network sliceassociated with the network access point and a bandwidth part associatedwith the network slice; sending, to the UE, a message instructing the UEto use the network slice and the bandwidth part for network trafficassociated with the service; receiving, from the UE, a second servicerequest associated with a second service; determining a secondcombination of a second network slice associated with the network accesspoint and a second bandwidth part associated with the second networkslice; and sending, to the UE, a second message instructing the UE touse the second network slice and the second bandwidth part for secondnetwork traffic associated with the second service, wherein the messageand the second message cause the UE to simultaneously use the bandwidthpart and the second bandwidth part.
 17. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 16, wherein: the operations furthercomprise determining a numerology for the bandwidth part associated withthe network slice; and the numerology for the bandwidth part isdetermined based at least on a goal associated with the network slice orthe service.
 18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediaof claim 17, wherein the goal is a latency goal, a throughput goal, or areliability goal
 19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise determining afirst numerology for the bandwidth part and a second numerology for thesecond bandwidth part.
 20. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the combination of thenetwork slice and the bandwidth part is determined based on one or moreinput factors that include at least one of: spectrum band information,allowed numerologies, UE network access capabilities, allowed networkslices, Service Level Agreement (SLA) information, media conditioninformation, key performance indicators, or application identifiers.